The present invention pertains to a mounting bracket for supporting a bird feeder or the like and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket adapted for demountable attachment directly to a glass window pane.
Mounting brackets for various outdoor applications utilize a wide variety of fastening systems by which they may be demountably or relatively permanently attached to the vertical faces of outside building structures. Such mounting brackets may be, for example, attached directly to the siding surface of a building, to a column or post, to a window casing, or even to the outside surface of a glass window pane. Such brackets typically include a generally horizontally extending support arm attached at one end to a mounting base and having a free end to which the article to be supported by the bracket is attached. The article may comprise, for example, a bird feeder, a flower pot, or any of a wide variety of other items.
When it is desired to attach a mounting bracket directly to a window pane, one type of mounting assembly includes one or more flexible rubber suction cups. The use of a suction cup allows the mounting bracket to be demountably attached to the window. By utilizing a vertical window pane as the sole attachment surface for a mounting bracket, it is unnecessary to apply other types of fasteners, either permanent or demountable, to portions of the window frame or casing or other parts of the structure. Indeed, in some situations the only practical place to attach a window-mounted feeder may be to the surface of the window pane.
However, the use of suction cup mounts presents a serious problem in cold climates. In extremely cold winter weather, rubber suction cups become stiff and hard and will not remain attached to any flat vertical surface, including a window pane, when subjected to any loading, vibration or contact. In short, suction cup mounting brackets simply fall off in periods of extended cold weather. In addition to the unreliability of such mounting assemblies, loss of or damage to the item supported on the bracket is, of course, also a serious concern. However, permanent attachment of another type of mounting bracket may often be a less than satisfactory alternative.
It would be desirable, therefore, to have a mounting bracket which could be reliably secured to the glass surface of a window pane and yet be, to a large extent, demountable and/or replaceable.